5 Ways Mindfulness For Anxiety Helps Reduce Stress
Live with less stress.
Have you been feeling stressed out lately? Learning mindfulness for anxiety can help you reduce stress and anxiety in your life, so you feel better.
You can't predict the future, so why sit around stressing yourself out trying to predict it?
Not only can you not predict the future, but people tend to predict the worst possible outcome, which only creates more stress and anxiety than necessary.
I'm not going to say stop worrying, but I am going to tell you to stay in the present.
And reducing stress is good for your health. Studies have found that stress is the number-one killer, these days.
Stress has been found to be the cause of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, just to name a few deadly ailments. It's also the cause of many mental disorders.
If you don't do something to reduce the stress in your life, it will begin to show up as disease in the body. This is something that nobody wants.
Studies have found that 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation will help reduce stress.
Here are 5 ways mindfulness for anxiety helps reduce stress.
1. Mindfulness helps bring inner peace.
When you practice mindfulness, you're more relaxed. You will not be so hard on yourself or others.
When you feel criticized, your first response won’t be to defend yourself. Instead, you will learn to take responsibility. This can help change your mindset.
I've practiced mindfulness for many years. Over the years, I've seen a huge change in my mindset. I no longer feel defensive, and it has helped to get through difficult times in my life that I never could have predicted.
2. Mindfulness makes it alright to do nothing.
You don’t always have to be doing something. When was the last time you sat in your backyard and did absolutely nothing?
You don’t need to feel guilty when you do nothing, either.
Mindfulness is the art of doing nothing. All you have to do is breathe.
3. Mindfulness can help keep you focused.
Everybody wants to be productive these days.
There are many things going on in the office. Maybe you sit in a cube where you can hear everyone around you.
The guy next to you has an argument with his wife on the phone. You didn’t want to hear every last detail of it, but you did. You have your computer and you sit under fluorescent light.
All of this takes away from your focus.
When you practice mindfulness, it slows down your heart rate. This will allow you to focus more easily and will make you more productive in the long run.
4. Mindfulness quiets the mind.
It will help you stop overthinking. Anxiety is fueled by anxious thoughts. You're worried about the future or you can’t let go of the past. All this does is keep you stuck.
So, stay in the present. When you no longer spend your time worrying, you will stop overthinking.
5. Mindfulness helps reduce anxiety and depression.
Studies have shown mindfulness helps manage anxiety and depression. Neither of these disorders comes with a simple fix. You need to do more than just take a pill.
Add mindfulness to your lifestyle, so you can feel better about yourself. While you're at it, add a positive affirmation to your mindfulness practice.
One of my favorites is "I am enough."
It's natural to feel stressed out in your life. But you shouldn't always feel that way.
For example, you will feel stress and anxiety when you are studying for an exam, but when the exam is over, you should feel better.
If you don't, then it may be time to seek help from a professional.
A mindfulness practice really helps. It's important to allow your mind to relax and do nothing — it's good for your mental health.
Lianne Avila is a Marriage & Family Therapist helping people in San Mateo, CA who are looking to create a life that is happier and more fulfilling. Please subscribe to Lianne’s newsletter on Lessons for Love to learn more about her services and expertise.